


together

by starkly



Series: you don't have to do this alone [27]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 19:04:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkly/pseuds/starkly
Summary: The Avengers Facility seems cold and empty as Pepper walks in. Considering how few Avengers are left in it, it’s no surprise. Vision greets her politely when she arrives, but he leaves her be once she heads off to find the men she came looking for. Her heels click against the bare floor as she walks, the sound echoing in the equally bare halls. It feels like a sad place to be, like a mausoleum.





	together

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for NaNoWriMo 2017 and posted at [dailyironfamily](http://dailyironfamily.tumblr.com/post/167968084875/day-27-hurtcomfort) on tumblr. This fic was proofread before being posted here but is otherwise unchanged.
> 
> Day twenty-seven: hurt/comfort. This is just a short little scene set right at the end of CACW, with Pepper/Tony/Rhodey established prior to the break mentioned in the movie.

The Avengers Facility seems cold and empty as Pepper walks in. Considering how few Avengers are left in it, it’s no surprise. Vision greets her politely when she arrives, but he leaves her be once she heads off to find the men she came looking for. Her heels click against the bare floor as she walks, the sound echoing in the equally bare halls. It feels like a sad place to be, like a mausoleum.

She finds them on a couch in the general sitting area near the Avengers’ quarters, looking tired and worn out. Tony’s head rests against Rhodey’s shoulder, the two slumped towards each other as they sit with their eyes closed. Pepper debates leaving them be and coming back another time, but Tony must hear her approach, because he looks up, then hops to his feet once he realizes who it is.

“Pepper,” he whispers, expression a tumultuous mix of relief and pain.

“Surprise,” she says with a weak smile. “May I join you?”

Tony gestures to the couch, moving out of the way, but Pepper sits in the armchair beside the couch instead of taking his seat. Tony doesn’t say anything, just sits back down where he was before and gently shakes Rhodey’s shoulder to wake him up.

“Hey, you’ll never guess who’s here,” he says as Rhodey opens his eyes. Pepper smiles and waves, but Rhodey looks just as surprised as Tony did. God, what had she done?

“I would have come sooner,” she says, apologetic, “but…” She wasn’t sure it would be appreciated.

Tony shifts in his seat, uncomfortable, but Rhodey nods and offers her a small smile of his own. “It’s good to see you, Pepper.”

“When I heard…” She glances down at his legs, the braces (obviously made by Tony) dark against his clothes. “I’m so sorry.”

Rhodey shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’m handling it.”

“You shouldn’t have to handle it alone.” She holds up a hand when Tony starts to protest, quieting him. “Either of you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.” She clutches her purse tighter in her lap, remembering the call she got from Vision, telling her something bad had happened to Tony in Siberia. That had been the final straw, after all the other terrible news.

“No one expected you to be, Pep,” Tony says, and even now he’s the one trying to reassure her, when it should be the other way around. “We agreed we’d let you have some distance. That was the whole point of the break.”

“Oh, forget the stupid break!” Pepper scowls, leaning in closer to the two of them. “I came here to apologize. I thought I needed space if you two were going to risk your lives all the time rushing into danger, but being far away while you’re doing that is even worse than being up close.”

She gets up, dropping her purse on her chair, and throws her arms around the two of them, holding them close. Tony startles, unsure what to do, but Rhodey puts an arm around her without hesitation, hugging her too. After a moment, Tony does the same thing, rubbing a hand gently up and down her back.

“This break felt like we weren’t even friends anymore, it was terrible,” she mutters, kneeling against the couch between them. After a moment Tony scoots to the side, making space, and she turns and sits between them. “I should have been there for you both.”

“You’re here for us now,” Rhodey says, looping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into another hug. Pepper sighs and leans against him; she’d missed this kind of contact while they were apart.

“You can help with Rhodey’s rehab, I’m doing a terrible job cheerleading on my own,” Tony says, trying to lighten the mood.

“You’re doing fine,” Rhodey argues, while Pepper turns to Tony and says,

“I mean for you too, Tony.” She pauses, glancing away, then reaches for Tony’s hand. “Your parents…”

“It’s fine,” Tony murmurs, but he grips Pepper’s hand tighter than he probably means to.

Slowly, she leans in to press a kiss to his temple. “It’s okay to not be fine.” She glances back at Rhodey. “Both of you.”

“Now that you’re here, how can we not be?” Tony says with a faint laugh, lifting Pepper’s hand to give it a kiss, and gives her a hopeful look.

Pepper smiles at both of them, more confident than she actually feels. “We’ll work it out.”

“Together,” Rhodey agrees, and takes her other hand in his.

Pepper nods, resolving never to leave her boys on their own again. Any personal problems, supervillains, world-ending catastrophes—they’ll get through it all together.


End file.
